Vehicle air conditioning systems include an evaporator from which heavy vapor that has been heated in the vehicle cooling process exits to a compressor. Intermediate the evaporator and compressor is an accumulator dehydrator assembly, often called an A/D assembly, which is basically a cylindrical canister that allows liquid refrigerant to settle out. The compressor, therefore, draws refrigerant indirectly from the evaporator, out of the top of the canister reservoir and primarily in vapor form. The incidence of liquid refrigerant in the compressor, so called slugging, is thereby minimized. In addition, bags of desiccant are typically included in the canister to dry the refrigerant.
The A/D assembly, as well as the evaporator or input line to it, the compressor or output line from it, the compressor itself, and myriad other components are located under the hood or cowl of the vehicle. With the advent of more aggressive cab forward body designs and lower hood lines, there is less and less underhood space available, and the need for ever more compact designs. In addition, there is the need for more flexibility in locating and orienting the A/D assembly when body designs are changed or modified, and the need to commonalize more and more components to serve several body designs.
Typical A/D assembly designs are well illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,971. The lines in and out of the canister usually are fitted to the sides of the canister, near the top in some designs, out of bottom for others. Each design is dedicated and inflexible, and if the orientation or location of the lines were changed, the canister design would have to be changed, as well. Attempts have been made to provide a more universal or adaptable design. An example may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,951. One of the ports to the canister, the input connector from the evaporator, is placed at the center of the canister axis, and is designed to be rotatable to all points of the compass, in effect. A is not solid, as a weld or braze would be, and is always subject to leakage. The designs described above also are capable of only one canister orientation, that is, top or bottom feed only. In addition, each input and output line is separately attached to a fitting on the canister by its own threaded connection, each of which has to be separately applied to add or remove the canister.